A shipwreck cargo of Sevillian pottery from the Studland Bay wreck, Dorset, UK

This article is an account of the pottery found at the Studland Bay wreck, Poole. The assemblage includes an important group of Spanish pottery made at Seville at the beginning of the 16th century, including the largest group of lustreware and blue-and-purple wares ever found in an archaeological context. These wares were probably carried as cargo and collected at a stopping-off point along the itinerary of the ship, probably to be sold in northern Europe.     

A dendrochronological investigation of stringed instruments from the collection of the Cherubini Conservatory in Florence,Italy

A total of forty-nine stringed instruments of the Conservatory Cherubini collection, at the Musical Instruments Department of the Accademia Gallery in Florence, were submitted to a dendrochronological investigation in order to date them, check the validity of their attribution and to find out more about their construction characteristics. Thirty-seven instruments were successfully dated, thereby determining the terminus post quem date of manufacture. The correlation values of the statistical cross-dating tests were generally very high. The dendrochronological analyses determined which instruments had been made from wood of the same provenance and, in some cases, from the same tree trunk. The mean chronology built from the musical instrument series, named “Accademia Master Chronology”, is 558 years long and dates from 1396 to 1953AD. The interval between the youngest ring dated dendrochronologically and the given date of manufacture increased constantly in the course of the centuries, from a mean value of just over eleven years for instruments built in the eighteenth century, to nearly 74 years in the twentieth century, when the use of old wood from other artefacts became more frequent. Furthermore, in the Cherubini Collection, the average tree rings on violins are smaller than those of other stringed instruments; in fact, they increase in proportion to instrument size and are widest in cello and double bass.     

Dendrochronological analysis of bowed and plucked instruments from the San Pietro a Majella Conservatory,Naples

The Museo Storico Musicale of the San Pietro a Majella Conservatory of Music in Naples owns a collection of over 200 musical instruments of considerable historical importance. Within the collection, 30 bowed and plucked instruments representative of the Neapolitan violin-making tradition were analysed dendrochronologically to date them, estimate the provenance of the wood and investigate the instruments’ construction characteristics. The values of the statistical cross-dating tests were generally high and allowed 26 instruments to be dated. In all but one case, the dates were consistent with those of the catalogue. From the perspective of wood selection, we noted an unusual use of very old spruce wood, well beyond simple seasoning. The construction technique of the soundboard and other characteristics show good similarities with instruments analysed in other Italian collections. Thus, even in Neapolitan instruments, the growth rings are smaller in small instruments and larger in cellos or double basses. In conclusion, the Neapolitan violin-making school has shown great care in the choice of wood, most coming from regions as far away as Germany or Switzerland, thus confirming the existence of an active large-scale trade in wood for the production of musical instruments.     

The business relations,identities and political resources of Italian merchants in the early-modern Spanish monarchy: some introductory remarks

Abstract

This article offers a preliminary approach to the special volume entitled Business Relations, Identities, and Political Resources of the Italian Merchants in the Early-Modern Spanish Monarchy. It discusses the major issues and debates addressed in the five contributions collected here about the central role played by the Genoese, Florentine and Milanese commercial networks in the framework of a polycentric imperial structure as was the Spanish Monarchy.     

Restoring Spanish Hispaniola,the First of the Indies: Local Advocacy and Transatlantic Arbitrismo in the Late Seventeenth Century

This article examines a group of restorationist proposals for Spanish Hispaniola from the late seventeenth century in the context of peninsular arbitrismo in order to understand the participatory nature of reform throughout Spain's empire. While their aims were more limited than those of arbistristas across the Atlantic, colonial advocates' idealized visions of the island and claims about the major threats it faced represented a shared local imaginary, and their proposals found a receptive audience in metropolitan authorities, who agreed that Hispaniola had strategic value but were constrained by limited resources. Taken together, the recommendations of overseas advocates and the responses of royal councilors illustrate a transatlantic conception of the Spanish monarchy and an active desire for restoration during the reign of Charles II, despite the supposed decadence of Spain under the last Habsburg monarch.     

中国出土玉器病害与修复保护综论

透闪石-阳起石玉器是中国优秀传统文化的杰出代表,其保护传承非常值得关注。本工作将玉器在入土埋藏前人类行为和入土埋藏后自然风化过程的影响作用进行有机结合,对狭义概念的透闪石-阳起石质出土玉器的病害特征、形成机制、修复和保护策略等方面进行了系统梳理。结果显示,出土玉器的病害特征主要包括10种：裂隙、剥落、断裂、残损等4种可因人类行为方式造成;表面污染、表面结壳、孔洞、粉化、复合材料脱落等5种主要由自然受沁作用造成;色变现象可由人类行为方式和自然受沁作用分别或共同造成。出土玉器的修复应遵循最小干预性原则,一般不作处理;存在孔洞严重、粉化、复合材料脱落的玉器,建议加固封护,维持其基本外形。出土玉器的预防性保护需要设置中高湿度条件,展陈时规避紫外光,保藏时使用无酸性材料包装。该项工作旨在将保护和考古工作紧密结合,不仅为玉器保护服务,而且为玉器考古工作服务,进而有助于该类珍贵文化遗产的传承。     

Eco-socialism and the political ecology of forest conservation in the Greater Khingan Range,China

State-owned forestry enterprises (SOFEs) in China, established during the Maoist era for forest exploitation, have undergone significant reorganization under the Natural Forest Conservation Program (NFCP). In this study, drawing on the perspectives of political ecology and a case study from a SOFE in the Greater Khingan Range in northeast China, we develop an eco-socialist perspective to understand this particular approach to forest conservation. The concept of eco-socialism is mobilized to describe how, as a form of all-encompassing social organization with overwhelming political, social, and economic power in the forestry regions, the eco-restructuring of SOFEs is key to the success of forest conservation. Four eco-restructuring processes have been identified: (1) declining timber sales and increasing central subsidies; (2) restructuring of work-units; (3) creating redundancies; and (4) developing new sustainable economic activities. Furthermore, these eco-restructuring processes, both mandated and supported by the central government, have a significant impact on state-society relationship. While the resources given by the central government allow SOFEs to maintain a stable relationship with some workers by providing them a relatively stable livelihood, the laid-off workers are the major victims of the process, as they suffer from loss of income, economic stability, and social self-esteem. This study enriches the literature by incorporating eco-socialist governmentality into the political ecology of forest conservation and illustrating how the political ecology perspective can be a powerful tool in the collective effort to craft sustainable and socially just futures in China.     

Scientific study of the pigments and binders used in mural painting from the 16th-century ce St Mary's Church of Cheriapally,Kottyam, Kerala,and its relevance to conservation

The aim of this investigation was to analyze the materials and techniques of the paintings in the 16th-century ce St Mary's Church, to evaluate deterioration of the paintings, and to propose a suitable conservation treatment for their preservation. The material analysis of ground, pigments, binders, and plasters was undertaken using binocular microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM)–energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in reflectance (KBr) and transmittance mode (attenuated total reflection), thin-film X-ray diffraction, and micro-Raman spectroscopy. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used for identifying proteinaceous and lipidic materials extracted from the micro-samples. The study generated data on two different red and green pigments used as decorative materials. The red pigments were identified as cinnabar along with traces of hematite and clay minerals, and green as malachite and the minor presence of other minerals. SEM analysis identified cotton fiber embedded in the coarse plaster layer that provided better strength to the plaster. Plant oils and proteins found as the binder in the pigment samples suggested that the painting technique was executed as tempera. Lead white and gypsum materials were used in previous restoration works.     

Gendered livelihoods and the politics of socio-environmental identity: women's participation in conservation projects in Calakmul,Mexico

A livelihoods approach positions individuals, situated within households, as active agents within processes occurring at various scales. Environmental conservation efforts represent one such process with direct implications for local sustainable livelihoods and the gendered nature of livelihood strategies. In this article, I examine collective processes of socio-environmental identity construction as gendered sustainable livelihood strategies, articulated in and through the activities of women's agricultural organizations in communities bordering the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve in rural southern Mexico. I present group histories and visual evidence from group activities – adapted from participatory rural appraisal (PRA) methodology – to highlight two important concepts. These are: (1) that gendered livelihood strategies are outcomes of negotiations within households and communities, in response to specific gendered opportunities and constraints; and (2) that gendered livelihood strategies consist of linked material and ideological aspects.     

“小白礁Ⅰ号”沉船部分木质文物微生物病害观察与损伤评估

为掌握宁波"小白礁Ⅰ号"古沉船船体结构的状况,以及为该沉船的后续保护提供科学依据,本研究利用光学显微镜和电子显微镜技术,在显微和亚显微水平上观察了该沉船部分木质文物的组织和细胞结构。观察分析发现,对该沉船木质文物有较大影响的微生物主要是侵蚀细菌(Erosion bacteria,EB)和钻管细菌(Tunneling bacteria,TB);借助文献提供的标准,评估了该沉船不同部位木质文物的结构现状及不同备检样品中的细菌的侵蚀程度。评价结果表明沉船木质文物的侵蚀情况从轻度到完全损坏程度不同。本研究也分析了导致木质文物损伤程度差异的原因,并根据分析结果就该沉船木质文物保护涉及的生物学问题提出了建议。     

馆藏壁画保护理论探索与实践——以甘肃省博物馆藏武威天梯山石窟壁画的保护修复为例

馆藏壁画是具有重要历史、科学和艺术价值的博物馆藏品之一,大部分为来自考古发掘现场的墓葬壁画,其次为揭取搬迁的石窟壁画和殿堂壁画。因其制作材料(主要为泥质或石灰层地仗)脆弱,保存年代久远,各种病害多发且严重。已有研究结果表明,石窟壁画保护的难点是水—盐运移引起的壁画酥碱等病害问题,而当石窟壁画转移到博物馆作为藏品保存后,其赋存环境条件发生了根本变化,博物馆可控的、稳定的温度、湿度使其保护难度大大降低,保护现存实物原状与历史信息必然成为馆藏壁画保护的重要内容。本研究以甘肃省博物馆藏武威天梯山石窟壁画的保护修复为例,结合多年石窟壁画保护实践,探讨了馆藏石窟壁画保护理论与保护程序,重点阐述了壁画附加支撑体的去除、新支撑体的选择以及安装等方面的技术要点。提出通过举办专题展览,利用多媒体等高新技术,可以生动、形象、准确地反映和展示馆藏壁画的价值及保护修复过程,弥补传统陈列展览模式的不足。研究成果对同类文物的保护具有重要的借鉴价值。